All Aboard your newest local charity

MORE exciting opportunities are on the way for a local disability support organisation after it became a registered charity.

All Aboard disAbility Support Services officially received Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status last month.

The Torquay-based agency exists to create inclusive community opportunities for people with disabilities to live, work and play on the Surf Coast.

Charity status will allow the organisation to increase their staff and volunteer offering.

All Aboard disAbility Support Services co-founder Kate Marshall said charity status had been a goal for a long period of time.

“We’ve got some big plans, and we knew we couldn’t do it on our own, so we went down the charity path.

“We hope the community will embrace us as their local charity. They’ve never shied away from supporting us in the past.

“We know what we do benefits the whole community and will benefit people more broadly too as we grow.

“People have always wanted to support and donate to us, so it all came about really authentically.”

The local disability organisation had fundraised for external groups and causes in the past including the

Royal Children’s Hospital, Daffodil Day and other cancer research appeals.

Co-founder Helen Cini said it was exciting to now have the capacity to fundraise for their own services.

“The fundraising aspect is definitely the most exciting thing part of becoming a charity.

“It’ll help applying for grants and continuing to expand our service to an even wider audience.

“The community are so generous, so we have no doubt they can help us to grow to where we want to be.

“Our future plans have the community well in mind, and we are very excited to announce them very soon.”